Brick surfacing machine



June 10, 1941- F. J. sKYRMs BRICK SURFACING MACHINE Filed July 19, 1938 INVENTOR Patented June 10, 1941 UNITED sTATEs wart e Fred J. Skyrms, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application July 19, 1938, Serial No. 220,017

2 Claims.

This invention relates to bricks having a face or surface approximating the appearance of'a rock, and particularly to an apparatus for producing such surfaces on bricks and to the bricks so produced.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a building brick having certain definite surfaces which have the appearance of a rock and in which the surface configuration of each brick will generally resemble each other but the texture of such surface on every brick is just a little different from the texture-produced on any of the other bricks.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for making a surface configuration on bricks which is simple to construct, positive in operation and economical to use and which will produce bricks having the same general resemblance but which will differ from each other in specific details.

Another object of this invention is to provide bricks having a surface configuration of-substantially the same general design which are attractive in appearance but in which no tWo of the bricks are of exactly similar configuration.

These and other objects which will hereinafter be made apparent to those skilled in this particular art are accomplished by means of this invention, one embodiment of which is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a partial view in side elevation of a brick-making machine equipped with apparatus made in accordance with my invention for configuring th surfaces of a column of clay adapted to be cut into brick, a portion of the configuring apparatus being broken away for convenience of illustration Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line IIIIII of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a number of bricks made on my improved apparatus and laid in tiers or rows to show the appearance produced in a well built up of my improved configured bricks.

Referring to the drawing in detail, I indicates the forming die of a clay mixing machine or pugging machine through which the clay mixed in the machine is extruded as a column 2 of proper size and shape so that bricks can be out therefrom by the usual wire cutting machine (none shown). The column of clay 2 leaving the forming die I is supported on a conveyor or table 3 which carries the column extruded through the die into a position to be acted upon by the wire cutting machine. The table 3 is of the usual type used in brick making industries.

As the column of clay 2 progresses, it is engaged by driven surfacing rolls 4 and 5 made in accordance with my invention, which engage the top and one side of the column, respectively, and produce the configurations shown in Fig. 4. The roll 4 extends transversely of the column and acts upon the top or'upper surface of the column 2 while the roll 5 extends vertically of the column and acts upon the side of the column adjacent thereto. Roll 4 is carried on a shaft 4a which is journaled at one end in an angle bracket 6 and at the other end in a collar 1, both of which depend from a plate 8 supported on uprights 9 having their lower ends secured to brackets I!) which, in turn, are secured to the frame it of the machine. Roll 5 is mounted on a vertically extending shaft 5a, the lower end of Which is journaled in the bracket II) which carries the upright 9 while the upper end thereof is journaled in the plate 8.

Each of the rolls 4 and 5 is driven in the direction of travel of the column 2 at a speed preferably somewhat in excess of the speed of travel of the column 2 and each roll is provided on its outer surface with a series of gougers or tongues [2 which are preferably of different shapes and sizes and are located haphazardly along and around the peripheries of the two rolls for gouging out and tearing the surface of the clay col umn 2 as it passes adjacent thereto to form th configuration thereon.

The rolls 4 and 5 are driven at the desired speed by a suitable variable speed motor l5 mounted on the top of the plate 8 which drives a suitable speed reduction mechanism I6 having a sprocket Wheel I! on its drive shaft l8 which is connected by the sprocket chain I 9 with a sprocket wheel 20 mounted on the shaft 4a of roll 4. In order that the roll 5 will be driven at the same speed as the roll 4, the shaft 4a also carries a bevel gear 2| which meshes with a bevel gear 22 on the shaft 5a of the roll 5.

As the clay column 2 passes the rolls 4-5, the tongues or gougers l2 on the rolls, which are so formed that they cut with a semi-cutting and tearing action, remove portions of the clay from the surfaces of the column being acted upon and produce irregular surfaces both on the column and on the fragments cut therefrom. Those portions gouged from the clay column drop back onto the top surface of the column and in order 2 r to prevent the portions being cut or torn from the edge of the column by the fingers l2 on the roll 5, I provide a plate 24 adjacent the side of the column which is adapted to prevent such cut portions from falling away from the column. The plate 24 is yieldably pressed against the side surface of the column 2 by springs 25 interposed between the outer surfac of the plate and a pair of posts 26 which carry the plate 24 and are secured at their lower ends to the frame II.

In order that the bricks cut from the column 2 will be of substantially uniform size, a pair of idler rollers 21-28 is also provided which exert suflicient pressure on the column to press the material, torn therefrom by the fingers l2 on the rolls 4-5, into firm contact or engagement with the column. The rollers 21-28, which have smooth surfaces, are frictionally driven through their engagement with the column and are so arranged that the roll 21 engages the top or upper surface of the column2 while the roll 28 extends;vertically'and engages the side surface of the column actedupon by the roll 5. Roll 21 is mounted on a shaft 21d extending transversely of the column, which is journaled; in brackets 29 depending from theplate 8 while roll 28 is carried on a vertically extending shaft 28a having, its upper end journaled in the plate 8 and its lower end journaled in a bracket 30 secured to the frame ll of the machine. I

'Rolls 21-28 are arranged to exert only sumcient pressure on the column as will cause the fragments cut or torn from the column by the tongues l2 on the rolls 4-5 to -be held in place on the column during the subsequent operations of cutting the column into brick size and the varioushandlings necessary for accomplishing thedrying and burning of the bricks. 7

From the foregoing description of my invention, it will be apparent that the rolls 4 and 5 may be driven at such a speed with relation to the speed of travel of the column 2 that'some ofthe fingers l2 on the rolls do not actually completely separate the gouged-out portions from the column and that certain of the fingers on the rolls will not come in contact with the p orti onsof the column forming successive bricks but that theengagement of the fingers with the column is more or less haphazard and, as a result, while the surface of the bricks has the same general resemblance or appearance they are not identical in configuration but the specific details of such configuration difier on each of the bricks so produced and thus the surface of the bricks does not have a mechanical and uniform texture but when employed in a building give a surface appearance substantially the same as a rock face.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that certain changes, modifications, additions, omissions and subtractions may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a horizontally extending roll having a plurality of irregularly disposed outwardly projecting fingers on the periphery thereof, a vertically arranged rollhaving a plurality of irregularly disposed outwardly projecting fingers on theperiphery thereof, a pair of smooth surface rolls spaced from said first mentioned rolls and arranged in horizontal and vertical positions, respectively, and aspring pressed plate disposed between the two vertically extending rolls.

2. Apparatus for configuring two surfaces of a moving column of clay to rock-like appearance comprising a roll extending' transversely of said column and having a plurality of gougers disposed irregularly over the surface thereof, a vertically extending rolladjacent one side of said column and having a plurality of gougers disposed irregularly over the surface'thereof, means for driving said rolls in the direction of travel of said column to gouge out and tear portions of the clay therefrom, a smooth surface roll extending transversely of said column andspaced from said first roll, and a smooth surfaced, vertically extending rollspaced from said second roll, said smooth rolls beingadapted to exert sufi'icient pressure on said column to firmly press the torn portions into holding engagement with said column, and a plate I yieldably pressed against the side of said column for preventing the torn portions thereof from dropping away from said column between the said vertically extending rolls. I 1 V i ERED J. SKYRMS. 

